Shelby Figueroa, Teen Girl, Escapes Handcuffs, Steals Patrol SUV, Leads Deputies On Chase: Cops

The Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office might want to invest in some stronger handcuffs.

Shelby Figueroa, 18, is facing multiple charges after allegedly breaking free from a pair of handcuffs, stealing a deputy's vehicle, and leading officials on a high-speed chase through the mountains of Colorado, KUSA-TV reports.

Authorities say they first encountered Figueroa on Sunday morning, near Georgetown, Colo., when she rammed her own car into an SUV belonging to the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office . The deputy on patrol handcuffed the teen and placed her in the back of the SUV.

"She's combative, but she's in the back of [the deputy's] car now," dispatchers were told.

Not for long.

Two minutes later, the 18-year-old managed to break out of her restraints, escape from the cage, get into the driver's seat and speed away, deputies say, igniting a chase that lasted a half hour and reached speeds up to 100 mph.

Deputies attempted to ram Figueroa off the road several times before succeeding at around 10:30 a.m., according to KUSA-TV. However, KDVR reports that the teen went off the road when she hit a spike strip.

Either way, the SUV flipped over and crashed into a rock wall.

Figueroa was treated for her injuries at a local hospital, and is now being charged with attempted vehicular assault on a peace officer, vehicular eluding, aggravated motor vehicle theft, resisting arrest, driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs, theft and reckless driving.

Is stealing cars what all the cool kids are doing these days? Earlier this month, 13-year-old Elizabeth Annette Robinson allegedly stole her brother's car to meet up with a boyfriend she had met online.

And in August, a 14-year-old boy in Pennsylvania led police officers on a wild chase after allegedly stealing a Jeep.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated, "Authorities say they first encouraged Figueroa on Sunday morning..." The sentence has been updated to say, "Authorities say they first encountered Figueroa on Sunday morning."